Hindi grammar · Beginner (A1)
Word order: the verb goes last
Hindi puts the verb at the end: subject, object, verb. Learn the basic order and where time, place and question words go.
Subject, object, verb
In English we say “I drink tea”: subject, verb, object. The subject is the person doing the action, and the object is the thing the action is done to. Hindi puts the verb at the very end, so the order is “I tea drink”.
Small verbs like (hoon, am) and (hai, is) come last of all, after the main verb.
| Subject | Object | Verb |
|---|---|---|
| (main) I | (chaay) tea | (peetaa hoon) drink |
| (Raam) Ram | (Hindee) Hindi | (seekh rahaa hai) is learning |
| (ham) we | (khaanaa) food | (khaayenge) will eat |
- मैं चाय पीता हूँ।Main chaay peetaa hoon.I drink tea. (man speaking)
- राम हिंदी सीख रहा है।Raam Hindee seekh rahaa hai.Ram is learning Hindi.
Time, place and other details
Extra information usually goes between the subject and the object: first when, then where. A safe order is subject, time, place, object, verb.
Hindi uses postpositions: small words like (men, in) that come after the noun, not before it as in English: (Dillee men, in Delhi).
| Subject | Time | Place | Object | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (main) | (kal) | (baazaar se) | (sabzee) | (khareedoongee) |
- मैं कल बाज़ार से सब्ज़ी ख़रीदूँगी।Main kal baazaar se sabzee khareedoongee.I'll buy vegetables at the market tomorrow. (woman speaking)
- वह हर सुबह पार्क में टहलता है।Vah har subah paark men tahaltaa hai.He goes for a walk in the park every morning.
Questions, adjectives and “not”
Questions keep the same word order. A yes/no question can start with (kyaa), and a question word such as (kahaan, where) stands just before the verb, where the answer would go: (aap kahaan rahte hain?, where do you live?).
Adjectives come before the noun, as in English: (baraa ghar, a big house). The word for “not”, (naheen), goes just before the verb.
Because small words like (ko) and (ne) show who does what, Hindi speakers can move words around for emphasis. While you learn, the standard order is always the safe choice.
- आप कहाँ रहते हैं?Aap kahaan rahte hain?Where do you live?
- यह बड़ा घर है।Yah baraa ghar hai.This is a big house.
- मैं मांस नहीं खाता।Main maans naheen khaataa.I don't eat meat. (man speaking)